wallah

Anglo-Ind. a person associated with a specified thing, function, or place: chiefly in comb.: a punkah-wallah

also sp. wal′la

Origin of wallah

Anglo-Indian ; from Hindi -w?l?, a suffix of agency

wallah

also wal·la

noun

One employed in a particular occupation or activity: a kitchen wallah; rickshaw wallahs.

An important person in a particular field or organization: “the Ritz, a favorite haunt of Republican wallahs”(John Robinson).

Origin of wallah

From Hindi -vala, n. suff. indicating the person concerned with an item or engaged in an activity, from Prakrit pala-, keeper, from Sanskrit pala&hlowdot;, protector, herdsman, from palayati, he brings across safely (as for example animals at a ford), protects variant of parayati; see per-2 in Indo-European roots.

wallah

Noun

(plural wallahs)

(India) A servant or other person responsible for something, often specified after it, for example kitchen wallah.

Either from Hindi-à¤µà¤¾à¤²à¤¾ (-vÄlÄ, “pertaining to") or from Hindià¤µà¤¾à¤²à¤¾ (-vÄlÄ, “person in charge"), from Sanskrità¤ªà¤¾à¤² (pÄla, “protector"), from Proto-Indo-European*pehâ‚‚- (“protect").